Kinect to sell for A$198 down under?

Source: A product listing on the EB Games Australia online store.

What we heard: Microsoft went out of its way to make sure that everyone knew that it was demonstrating Kinect (previously dubbed Project Natal) at this year's E3 conference in Los Angeles. The software company pulled out the big guns, commissioning Cirque du Soleil to tailor a performance on the Sunday before the show started and sneaking into journalists’ rooms in various hotels to post Kinect advertisements in their bathrooms.

There was one noticeable detail that Microsoft left out: exactly how much the Kinect camera was going to cost. Industry analysts guestimated that the camera would sell somewhere between $150 and $250, with online stores from Amazon, GameStop, and Best Buy supporting this, listing the peripheral at $150. Microsoft remained quiet, sticking to its usual “no comment on rumours or speculation” line.

Recently Australia’s largest video game retailer took a pot shot at the price, listing the Kinect camera at A$198.00 ($172). The price does have one massive caveat, stating that "Price Displayed is R.R.P." No other new details, such as release date, were given on the listing.

Kinect's biggest rival, the PlayStation Move, was dated and priced at Sony's E3 2010 press conference late last month, moving the ball back into Microsoft's court with Kinect.

The Official Story: A Microsoft Australia representative told GameSpot AU, "No comment, we do not speculate on rumours."

Bogus or not bogus?: Since the beginning, Microsoft has been touting the Kinect camera as a high-end piece of technology, perhaps to get the public prepared for a high-end price to go with it. While it's hard to tell if the EB Games price is going to be official, we think it's probably a safe bet to say that it’s a good ballpark figure.